As part of the CEL Health Logistics Congress, Xavier Bergés Pujol from Alcon presented a success story: Evolution in the Logistics Management of Consigned Intraocular Lenses with RFID Technology. Through this project, Alcon has successfully automated the remote management of its consignment inventory.
During his presentation, Xavi addressed the challenges faced by clinical staff in ophthalmology, particularly in the context of cataract surgery. Cataracts affect 50% of the population over the age of 65, with 532,000 cataract surgeries performed annually in Spain, making it the procedure with the longest surgical waiting list in the National Health System (SNS). A typical hospital conducts 2,000 cataract surgeries per year and 46 per week, requiring a permanent stock of 1,089 intraocular lenses (IOLs) in consignment per hospital. This entails 8,080 annual IOL movements per center, highlighting the complexity of traditional inventory management through detailed calculations.
In its pursuit of continuous improvement and process optimization, Alcon partnered with Palex to remotely manage its IOLs using Dyane SmartCabinet, achieving the following key benefits:
- Real-time inventory and movement tracking.
- Improved traceability of IOL movements and proactive expiration management.
- Automated IOL replenishment and billing order generation.
- Reduced risk of surgery cancellations due to stock shortages.
- Optimization of healthcare personnel’s time and cost savings.
- Generation of reports for decision-making and consignment IOL optimization.
Beyond the quantifiable benefits validated with the client, for every 2,000 cataract surgeries:
✅ Up to 217 hours of nursing time are freed up for patient care.
✅ Estimated annual productivity gains of €11,242 are achieved due to the RFID cabinet installation.
We are excited to have shared this innovative project and to continue driving solutions that add value and transformation to healthcare logistics.
